There's a lot of talk about traffic congestion in
Yosemite National Park. Let me launch a rant. There are two main roads through
Yosemite Valley. One is one-way in, the other is one-way out. If you pass
a spot you want, or if you want to backtrack, you must drive a very lengthy
loop to return. These one-way roads are not only an unnecessary inconvenience,
they are responsible for many more miles being driven in the park than is
necessary. Even worse, if you must make that loop to return to a spot, you will
drive past Yosemite village, the most
congested spot in the valley. Anyone that has spent any time there whatsoever
knows that
there are many drivers with confused looks on their faces at the street crossings
in that portion of the park. This is because they don't
know which way to turn - i.e. which roads lead where. This shouldn't happen.
Why does it happen? Because
despite the numerous maps provided by the National Park Servie to every
driver entering the park (there's
the glossy park brochure with a beautiful map and the Yosemite today, with
two detailed maps), not a
single one of these maps has a street name listed. The end result is that
every driver drives much further in Yosemite than he/she wishes and must by
necessity also drive through Yosemite Village TO GO ANYWHERE.
Visiting
such a beautiful place should not be a frustrating experience. And yet, it
can be. This is a clear example of National Park Service mismanagement of
our natural resources. End of rant.
I hope you enjoy my photos of Yosemite National Park in California.
|
This is a view westward from a
vantage point on the Four Mile Trail in Yosemite National Park
|
This is El Capitan, another of the famous
landmarks in Yosemite National Park. The National Park Service information
states that this is the largest single monolith of granite in the world. |
